Posts Tagged ‘cinnamon’

July 4th Celebration

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Flags fly high at Williams House

Flags fly high at Williams House

 

We enjoyed a full house this holiday weekend and enjoyed decorating with flags and serving our guests a typical July 4th cookout.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, potato salad, baked beans and cole slaw warmed them up for the special treat: HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!  It was a hot and muggy day, but under the shade of the 600 year old live oak, it was manageable.  We also tasted some exotic beers with lemonade and all sorts of interesting approaches.  Publix has recently started carrying a large variety of specialty beers here on the island and it was a good time to try out some different varieties.

Let the celebration begin!

Let the celebration begin!

 

As we began setting up, Cinnamon our fearless cat began circling and watching no doubt thinking there cood be shrimp involved. However, he had to settle for bits of cheeseburger.  Byron cooked the hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken and Deborah did all the other cooking. 

Guests enjoy the feast

Guests enjoy the feast

We made ice cream with the old fashioned salt and ice mixture but with an electric churn.  It only took about forty minutes even with temps in the 90′s  and of course from my perspective it needs to be vanilla if you make homemade.  However, fixings were available for those that wanted a different flavor experience.

Byron & Deborah in matching red white and blue "05 U. S. Open" volunteer shirts

Byron & Deborah in matching red white and blue "05 U. S. Open" volunteer shirts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hearthstone cottage draped with flags

Hearthstone cottage draped with flags

There was a day of fun and games for children at the park, followed by a parade (see separate blog)down Ashe and Center streets and finally fireworks later in the evening.  Something for everyone in our small home town  America.

Party tubs with beer greet guests

Party tubs with beer greet guests

Cinnamon – The William's House Feline

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Cinnamon - Hard at work

Cinnamon - Hard at work

When we purchased the William’s House in 2005, we inherited a couple of neighborhood cats.  Both Cinnamon and Ghost (a pure white) strolled liesurely around the property and looked hungry.  So…we began feeding them out of the kindness of our hearts.  As it turned out the surveyor up the street also fed them as well as the Beech Street Grill.  They also had other names for them…must have been confusing for the cats!  Alas, at some point Ghost crossed paths with some loose dogs and she is no longer with us.  Cinnamon however has survived well (and visited the vet) and now hovers around the Williams house most of the time.  Seems he likes being petted by guests and is prone to instantaneous plops in front of guests to achieve adequate petting.  Or..it could be the multiple cat treat locations where he knows Byron will give in if he races there before Byron arrives.

One of Cinnamon’s specialties is weddings.  He seems particularly atttracted to the wedding process, and especially the bride’s trip down the aisle.  On more than one occasion he has followed the bride down the sidewalk and relaxed nearby until the ceremonies have ended.  He then mopes around looking for some petting from the crowd before the main event…THE RECEPTION.  If he could ask brides, his preference would of course be local shrimp.  Plenty on the ground if you don’t mind.  But..he will take what is available, look longingly at the cake table and then retreat to the nearest shade.  He is without a doubt one of the most friendly cats we’ve known and loves people of all ages.  So when you come to the William’s House…enjoy our special heavy duty watch-cat, Cinnamon…the fiercest protector in town.

 

Cinnamon in his favorite chair

Cinnamon in his favorite chair

Cinnamon practicing gymnastics on the William's House fence

Cinnamon practicing balance beam on the William's House fence